Don Tonino Bello: the shepherd with the apron, the man who dared to pursue peace

Through one of the latest releases in the I Santi del Messalino series, we are invited to rediscover a figure who is and will remain a "man of our times": Father Tonino Bello, venerable, monsignor, but above all, simply, a priest. A pastor whose life was shaped by a faith capable of expressing itself in a radical program of action, written in step with the least among us.

The flavor of simplicity

Father Tonino’s greatness lies in his disconcerting simplicity, a quality forged in his native land, «small and poor», as he himself described it. He himself recalled that this very poverty had given him «the incomparable wealth of understanding the poor and being able today to place myself at their service». His childhood is a fresco of humble and pure values: the «warmth of hearths on winter evenings», the «taste of bread (just bread)», and the «scents of fields and freshly washed clothes». His people were «poor in money, but rich in wisdom», «neat in their homes and in their hearts». This attachment to his origins and his fundamental simplicity led him to a significant choice: although appointed bishop, he continued to have people call him "Father Tonino". For him, the episcopal title had «little to do with either the poverty of Bethlehem or the shame of Calvary». The essential thing, he said, was not found «in titles, nor even in the wardrobe».

The Church of the apron

His vocation was clear from the moment of his priestly ordination, marked by the Gospel phrase: «For this reason he has consecrated me to proclaim the good news to the poor» (Lk 4:18). Father Tonino did not limit himself to preaching this mission, but lived it with disarming practicality. Upon entering the Diocese of Molfetta, he asked to be welcomed as «a brother and friend, as well as a father and shepherd», bringing with him only «the Word of God and the tenderness, suffering, and indestructible hope of my small, wonderful Church of origin». He wanted to be «a Bishop made people», and for this reason coined the powerful expression «Church of the apron». The apron, for him, was the only priestly vestment recorded in the Gospel. Father Tonino insisted on this: «The stole without the apron would remain merely calligraphic. The apron without the stole would be fatally sterile». And he did not limit himself to words, but personally intervened in support of the striking workers at Acciaierie Ferriere Pugliesi; faced with the housing crisis, he opened the doors of his episcopal apartment to five evicted families.

Sarajevo and the vocabulary of peace

If simplicity is his distinguishing trait, peace is his banner. War had deeply marked his childhood through the loss of his father and two brothers. As national president of Pax Christi, Father Tonino devoted all his strength to helping people understand that peace «is not a simple word, but a vocabulary», and that «there is no red peace and white peace... There is only one peace: that of the Father». He openly fought against the Gulf War, writing to members of parliament and condemning the logic of war as «sheer madness». He was labeled and ridiculed, but he did not stop. His commitment reached its peak with the march to Sarajevo in December 1992. Although already seriously ill, he joined around five hundred pilgrims in an undertaking he called «absurd»: entering the city in the darkness, amid the dangers of war, to deliver a message: «Peace must be dared». Father Tonino Bello, who died on April 20, 1993, left a legacy that resonates powerfully today. He taught us that «human beings are angels with only one wing: they can fly only by remaining embraced». And he asked us to give, especially to our unfortunate brothers and sisters, «a spare wing».

His life encourages us not to give in to resignation and to live faith as a commitment that must have the strength and courage to become involved «with the least among us, rediscovering bold missionary rhythms».